Time Warner Cable Sports is playing some tough defense in Southern California when it comes to airing ever popular Los Angeles Lakers games.

Preseason contests hit the airwaves this week but Lakers games are only available on the new TWC SportsNet and TWC Deportes channels, which Time Warner Cable broadcasts in the Los Angeles area.

The channels also will broadcast games of Carson-based Major League Soccer club the Los Angeles Galaxy.

But that cuts out subscribers of satellite services such as El Segundo-based DirecTV and Dish, as well as television viewers who receive local television signals over rabbit ears.

How long this exclusivity will last is unclear.

As of Friday afternoon, Time Warner Cable Sports was still discussing broadcast rights with other program providers, but there was no indication whether a deal might be reached in time for today's exhibition against the Utah Jazz.

"Negotiations with TV providers to carry Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes are ongoing," Time Warner Cable Sports said in a statement.

"There is a significant demand from Lakers fans for these two networks and we are working very hard to reach agreements with all TV providers in Southern California so that fans can watch the games they love."

The deal between Time Warner and the Lakers was struck about a year ago.

Time Warner Cable and DirecTV are the two biggest pay television providers in Los Angeles. TWC has about 1.7 million of the 5 million TV homes in Southern California. DirecTV is second with about 1.1 million.

"We understand how important the Lakers are to L.A. fans and we can assure them that we're actively engaged with Time Warner Cable on how best to make the new network available in all our local customers' homes," DirecTV said in a statement.

"Time Warner and DirecTV share a responsibility to make sure both Lakers fans and non-fans avoid any extraordinary increases to their families' monthly bills. We plan to carry TWC SportsNet in a way that is affordable for everyone."

But the stalemate is frustrating for subscribers to other services who must scramble for other viewing options.

TWC is asking for $3.95 per subscriber each month for both the SportsNet and Deportes channels, which is among the highest ever charged for a regional sports network.

The Lakers' coverage for games goes as far north as Fresno, west to Hawaii, south to the Mexican border (as well as Tijuana) and east to Las Vegas.

These negotiations are expected to reach a conclusion before the first regular season game on Oct. 30, when the Lakers are at home against Dallas in a game already set for national coverage by TNT.

The next night, the Lakers are in Portland and that game is exclusive to SportsNet and Deportes. There are 72 games on TWC SportsNet and Deportes during the regular season, with the other nine national broadcasts by ESPN, ABC or TNT. Some of the other ESPN/TWC SportsNet games are dual broadcasts.

Presumably, if no agreement is reached by the time the NBA regular season starts, non-Time Warner subscribers will scramble to watch their beloved Lakers in local bars.

But of the six bars in Old Torrance, only two - the Red Car Brewery & Restaurant and Buffalo Fire Department - have Time Warner.